Throughout the residency year, the pharmacy resident will complete one major primary research project relating to a specific aspect of pharmacy practice. In addition, the resident will complete many other mini-projects as assigned by preceptors or the residency program director. Other projects may include, but are not limited to, drug/drug class reviews, drug utilization reviews, policy/procedure development or improvement, protocol development, or process improvement.

The primary research project may involve the development, enhancement, or evaluation of a current practice, may be a problem solving exercise, or may involve original research. The resident must be involved in each step of the primary research project from the point of formulating a question to be answered, creating a study design, conducting literature searches, performing a pre-study if necessary to determine the achievability and usefulness of the actual project, conducting the actual study, interpreting the data collected, and presenting results of the study upon completion. The project should be able to be reasonably completed within the residency year.

The resident will present the findings of their study at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference near the end of the residency year, as well as to the pharmacy department and any other appropriate staff at Bronson Methodist Hospital. The residency program director and preceptors will help the residents choose projects that will not only meet the accreditation standards of ASHP, but will also benefit the resident and the institution. The resident will also write a manuscript, detailing the project upon its completion. The resident, with the help of the director and/or preceptors, will choose a primary investigator and co-investigators if necessary, based upon the focus area of their project. The resident will be exposed to the institutional review board (IRB) and the processes that must be followed within the institution to conduct a research project. Residents will have their protocols reviewed by a Bronson Methodist Hospital research nurse prior to submission to the IRB.